Nam gripped the cold metal of the rappel rope, descending the sheer cliff wall with practiced ease. The mist was thick now, curling around the rocks like smoke. Every sense was alert. Every instinct honed.
Kai was ahead of them—but not far.
Lan followed just above, her eyes flickering across the cliff face for signs of movement. Below, Shun had already reached a narrow ledge and was scanning with his rifle scope.
"There," Shun murmured into the comm. "Thermal trace—faint. Moving east."
Nam landed beside him a second later. "He's bleeding," he noted, crouching near a streak of dark red on the rock. "That blast caught him too."
Lan landed softly behind them. "Good. It'll slow him."
The three moved as one, slipping through the rugged terrain in silence. Minutes passed—then, a sudden burst of movement from the rocks ahead. A figure dashed through the shadows.
"Kai!" Nam roared.
He gave chase.
The world blurred into darkness and stone as Nam sprinted after his old friend—his brother in arms—turned fugitive. His breath burned. His heart thundered. This wasn't just a mission. It was personal.
A shot rang out—Lan ducked, rolling behind a boulder.
"He's cornered!" she called out. "He's trying to hold us off!"
Nam didn't slow. He knew Kai's tactics. Knew his hesitation.
They found him at the edge of a deep crevasse, gun in hand, back to the abyss.
"This ends here," Nam said, stepping forward.
"I never meant for Minh to die," Kai said, voice cracking. "But they used us, Nam. And you still serve them."
"They'll pay," Nam said. "But not this way. Drop the weapon."
Kai looked at him—eyes filled with conflict.
Then… he lowered the gun.
But before anyone could breathe, the cliff edge gave way under Kai's foot.
"Kai!"
Nam lunged—but only caught empty air.
Kai fell, his figure vanishing into the foggy chasm below.
Silence.
Only the wind remained.